CAREERSOURCE FLORIDA BUSINESS TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT GUIDELINES FOR BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF

(Rev. 3/7/17) CAREERSOURCE FLORIDA BUSINESS TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT GUIDELINES FOR BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF In accordance with Section 445.004(4)(f.), Laws of Florida, members of the Board of Directors and staff of CareerSource Florida (CSF) may be reimbursed for all reasonable, necessary and actual travel expenses in accordance with the travel provisions incorporated in Section 112.061, Florida Statutes. The following general guidelines are being provided to assist in submitting travel reimbursement vouchers in conformance with the requirements of Section 112.061, F.S. These guidelines address only those general issues and anticipated travel costs individuals will likely encounter and should not be considered as all-inclusive. Questions regarding particular circumstances, or specific questions about the appropriate manner of submitting an expense reimbursement, should be directed to the staff member identified at the end of this document. CLASSES OF TRAVEL: Class A travel: Continuous travel of 24 hours or more away from home, official headquarters or a regional office. The travel day is based on a calendar day (midnight to midnight). Class B travel: Continuous travel of less than 24 hours that involves an overnight absence from home, official headquarters or a regional office. The travel day begins at the same time the travel begins. Class C travel: Travel for short or day trips during which the traveler is not away from his or her home, official headquarters or a regional office overnight. TRAVEL FORMS: Travel Request Form: Authorization to Incur Travel Expense (Attachment #1) All travel (except intown vicinity miles) by professional staff members must be authorized in advance by a CareerSource Florida Vice President or the Chief Operating and Financial Officer (COO/CFO) and documented on a completed travel request form. For purposes of official board and council/committee meetings, professional staff are authorized in advance to travel to noticed meetings of the Board of Directors or its councils and committees. Likewise, executive leadership professional staff members are authorized in advance to travel on official travel for CareerSource Florida and are not required to submit a travel request form for approval of travel. Any travel by members of the Board of Directors or executive leadership professional staff that is determined not to be official travel on behalf of CareerSource Florida will not be reimbursed. Expense Reimbursement Form (Attachment #2) To ensure compliance with the mandatory travel provisions, a standard travel reimbursement form has been developed. Once the form is completed with original signature of the traveler, it should be submitted to the staff member identified at the end of this document, along with documentation of incurred expenses, for approval by the Controller or 1

the COO/CFO. When the purpose of the travel is to attend a conference or similar event, the traveler should include a copy of the agenda, if available. To preclude errors in mailing your check, please be sure to provide a clearly legible return address on the expense reimbursement form where the travel reimbursement should be forwarded. TRANSPORTATION: Transportation expenses incurred in connection with approved travel for CareerSource Florida activities are reimbursable. The method of transportation must represent the most economical method of travel for each trip, keeping in mind the following: 1. The nature of the business. 2. The most efficient and economical means of travel considering the time of the traveler, cost of transportation and per diem or subsistence required. 3. The number of persons making the trip and the amount of equipment or materials being transported. In the event that travel costs are incurred that do not represent the most economical mode of transportation, such costs may not be reimbursed to the traveler. Determination of whether a submitted travel cost is reimbursable will be made by the Director of Finance/Controller or the COO/CFO. Travel also must be from the Florida home base location to the location of the CSF meeting or other pre-approved event. If CSF staff or board members are on non-csf business and must travel to the location of the CSF meeting, only the cost of the travel from the Florida home base location to the CSF meeting is reimbursable. For instance, if a CSF staff or board member is on non-csf business in Washington, D.C. and must travel to Florida to attend the CSF meeting, the actual travel cost from Washington, D.C. is not reimbursable by CSF; only the cost of travel comparable to travel cost from their Florida home base location to the CSF meeting is reimbursable. Thus, if the actual travel costs incurred differ from those travel costs normally incurred from the Florida home base location to the travel destination, such actual costs will be reimbursed up to, but not to exceed, those costs that would have been incurred from the home location. Discounted Airline Ticket and Ticket Cancellation or Exchange Penalty Tickets Penalties for cancellation of discounted airline tickets may be paid from board funds only if the cause for cancellation is in the best interest of the board. The cost of unused nonrefundable tickets or cancellation penalties incurred are allowable if the traveler has to cancel a trip due to illness of the traveler or death of a member of the traveler s immediate family. If a ticket is canceled for the convenience of the traveler, the cancellation penalty may not be reimbursed from board funds. Documentation to substantiate these costs must be submitted along with the completed expense reimbursement form and authorization forms. Travel by Airline Common Carrier An original receipt or passenger copy of an airline ticket and copy of checked baggage/luggage receipts will substantiate transportation costs by common carrier when traveling on official business and paid for personally by the traveler. (Attach copy of travel agency itinerary, if available.). Travel agent fee is normally reimbursable as a customary fee charged for assistance in booking airline tickets and usually helpful in obtaining the lowest flight rate. Additional fees charged for roomier seats, early boarding, early access to overhead bins, expedited security, upgrade tickets other than coach/economy and other extras will be at traveler s expenses and not reimbursable. 2

Rental Vehicles If determined to be the most economical mode of transportation when considering the cost of taxis or shuttles, a compact car may be rented. Cars classified larger than a compact vehicle are not allowed for reimbursement unless used to transport several authorized travelers and/or excessive baggage or materials. If larger than a compact vehicle is rented and not used to transport several authorized travelers or excessive baggage or materials, the excess cost above that of a compact vehicle may not be reimbursed to the traveler. The rental copy and transaction ticket should be attached to the expense reimbursement form and forwarded to the staff member identified at the end of this document. When possible, professional staff will utilize the State rental car contract which provides a competitively procured rate for car rentals. Fuel reimbursement for rental cars, during authorized travel, will be reimbursed with a valid receipt or as charged on the rental car receipt. Travel by Privately Owned Vehicles Board and staff members may be authorized to use privately owned vehicles for approved travel for CareerSource Florida in lieu of common carriers or rental vehicles. The traveler is entitled to a mileage allowance at a fixed rate of 44.5 cents per mile. Fuel purchases will not be reimbursed when traveling by a privately owned vehicle. The cost of fuel is included in the fixed rate mileage allowance. When traveling from one city to another, map mileage claimed and shown on the expense reimbursement form should represent the official mileage as calculated by the Florida Department of Transportation using its Official Highway Mileage Viewer at http://fdotewp1.dot.state.fl.us/citytocitymileage/ and included with the expense reimbursement request; the remaining mileage incurred beyond map mileage should be shown on the expense reimbursement form as vicinity mileage. Google Maps, MapQuest or other maps are required to be included with your request for reimbursement of any vicinity mileage which is not map miles. Vicinity miles will not be reimbursed for travel from personal home to a rental car pickup or carpool meet location unless the distance traveled is greater than the distance from the traveler s personal home to their office. In this case, only the difference between the two distances will be reimbursed at the rate of 44.5 cents per mile. (For example, if the distance from a personal home to the rental car pickup is 10 miles and the distance from a personal home to the office is 8 miles, the traveler is eligible for reimbursement for 2 vicinity miles) MEAL ALLOWANCES: (NOTE: Effective 2001 to present, there is no meal allowance for Class C travel.) Board and staff members may be authorized reimbursement for the following amounts for subsistence while in travel status and not claiming straight per-diem rates: 1. Breakfast - $6 (When travel begins before 6 a.m. and extends beyond 8 a.m.) 2. Lunch - $11 (When travel begins before 12 noon and extends beyond 2 p.m.) 3. Dinner - $19 (When travel begins before 6 p.m. and extends beyond 8 p.m.) When a meal is included in a paid convention or conference registration fee, the amounts for subsistence listed above for that meal will not be reimbursed even if the traveler decides for personal reasons not to eat the meal. A continental breakfast is considered a meal if included in the paid convention or conference registration fee. When a meal is provided by a hotel or airline, the traveler will be allowed the amount for subsistence as shown above. 3

HOTELS and PER DIEM (NOTE: Effective 2001 to present, there s no per diem allowance for Class C travel.): Requests for reimbursement of traveler hotel costs must include itemized hotel receipts as supporting documentation to the expense reimbursement form. In the event that hotel costs are not incurred, the traveler shall be reimbursed one-fourth of the authorized rate of per diem, currently $80 per day, for each quarter of the travel day included within the travel period. Please refer to the per diem clock below for assistance in calculating per diem: 10 PM 11 PM 12 AM 1 AM 2 AM 9 PM 3 AM 7 PM 6 PM 8 PM $20.00 $20.00 Dinner $19.00 4 AM 5 AM 6 AM 5 PM 4 PM $20.00 $20.00 7 AM 8 AM 3 PM Lunch $11.00 Breakfast $6.00 2 PM 1 PM 11 AM 12 PM 10 AM 9 AM Note: Per diem can only be claimed when traveler does not claim actual expenses (hotel room rate + taxes and meal allowance) for that day. Traveler can claim $20.00 per quarter; when travel falls within a quarter, the whole quarter may be claimed. Per diem or actual expenses are a daily choice, however, traveler should claim per diem the last day of every trip that is continuous travel of 24 hours or more. Per diem is a flat rate of $20.00 per quarter which equals $80.00 per day. Actual expenses = the lodging expense (government room rate + taxes) and meal allowances. 4

OTHER EXPENSES: The following incidental expenses may be reimbursed: Fares for shuttle or airport buses, where available; costs of public transportation for other ground travel (Receipts are required). Checked baggage/luggage fee imposed by Airline, many airlines offer carry-on bag for free for the overhead compartment and/or computer bag for seat. Checked baggage fees will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by Controller or COO/CFO to determine if the number of checked bags is reasonable and consistent with travel duration most overnight business trips will be 1 to 3 days where 1 checked bag each way should be sufficient. Traveler provided explanation for checking 2 bags each way for flights on business trips not lasting longer than 3 days will be reviewed to determine if justification for 2 nd checked bag is reasonable and necessary and thus reimbursable. Costs incurred for parking (Receipts are required). Fares for taxi transportation, only when there is no less expensive alternative (Receipts are required). Actual cost of tolls (Receipts are required). Actual charges of telephone calls, faxes and similar services, if required, for conducting business on behalf of CareerSource Florida. A statement must be made on the expense reimbursement form that such expenses were business related (Receipts are required). Tips paid to taxi drivers, which do not exceed 15 percent of the taxi fare (Receipts are required). Actual hotel bags portage costs paid, not to exceed $1 per bag or more than $5 per incident. The number of bags transported must be indicated by the traveler on their expense reimbursement form. In the case of large amounts of business materials, banners, or other CSF business being transported by hotel staff, the $5 cap per incident may be exceeded as determined to be justifiable by Controller or COO/CFO on a case-by-case basis. Other travel expenses, other business-related expenses incurred while traveling on CSF business may be paid/reimbursed at the discretion of CSF. IN LIEU OF RECEIPTS Should a receipt not be obtainable and the amount eligible for reimbursement exceed $5, a Certification In Lieu of Receipt form is required and must be signed by Controller or COO/CFO. SUBMISSION OF FORMS: Expense reimbursement forms, travel request forms and a copy of meeting agendas/itineraries as applicable, accompanied by receipts for all individual expenses should be submitted to the CareerSource Florida office in a timely manner with all required signatures included on each form. Once the reimbursement is reviewed for completeness and approval is provided by the Controller or COO/CFO, it will be processed for payment. To ensure the expediting of a reimbursement request, original receipts and other supporting documentation must be submitted with the request. 5

The following staff member should be contacted for additional clarification or information to complete expense reimbursement forms: Violet Sharpe CareerSource Florida, Inc. P.O. Box 13179 Tallahassee, FL 32317 Phone: (850) 846-6375 vsharpe@careersourceflorida.com accountspayable@careersourceflorida.com (to submit reimbursement requests and documentation) 6